This Is Your Brain on Meditation
Benefits of meditation on the aging brain, plus 5 simple techniques.
My brain is aging faster than I care to admit. I recently handed my credit card to someone requesting proof of identification. I didn’t realize the error until he commented on the “cute cat.” I gave him a perplexed look, and he flashed me the front of my cat themed Discover card. He was amused, but I felt worried. I’m too young for my brain to be malfunctioning.
The truth is that every day I’m getting older. You too? As we age, we experience cognitive changes, including an increased risk for dementia. Although I know I’m not experiencing any significant cognitive concerns, I want to take proactive steps to keep my brain healthy and functioning well.
I recently read a fascinating research review by Kurth, Cherbuin, and Luders (2017) that explored the benefits of meditation in reducing brain age. This article discussed the role of cellular changes, inflammation, long term stress response, and brain volume in an aging brain, and the part meditation may play in mitigating these effects.
Based on the research, it appears that meditation can reduce some of the factors that age our brain. Meditation is a protective mechanism.
